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Flying With the Kings

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The author attended AirVenture, experiencing the usual aviation excitement alongside challenging weather conditions.
  • The return flight was a highlight, as the author flew with John and Martha King in their Dassault Falcon 10 business jet.
  • The Falcon 10 impressed with its high useful load, rapid climb performance (nearly 6,000 fpm), and high cruising speeds (Mach 0.86), while also maintaining a remarkably slow approach speed (106 knots) enabling landings at shorter runways.
  • The flight was a comfortable, efficient, and highly educational experience due to the company of the legendary pilot educators.
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Last week’s AirVenture air show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, was a big treat. As I’ve come to expect after years of attending, the show was filled with new exciting aviation products and every imaginable airplane type. And there was plenty of opportunity to learn new things at the forums and seminars. As I’ve also come to expect, the week presented the usual range of weather conditions, from extreme heat to a pretty intense thunderstorm that flipped at least one airplane and damaged several signs and tents. I had the pleasure of being stuck in a Port-O-Let – a sizable restroom trailer – for about 15 minutes while the storm raged outside.

It was a great week, and while I was sad to leave I was excited about the mode of transportation for my return. I was flying back with John and Martha King in their Dassault Falcon 10. Our Saturday morning departure out of Appleton’s Outagamie County Regional Airport presented deep blue, mostly clear skies.

Pia Bergqvist

Pia Bergqvist joined FLYING in December 2010. A passionate aviator, Pia started flying in 1999 and quickly obtained her single- and multi-engine commercial, instrument and instructor ratings. After a decade of working in general aviation, Pia has accumulated almost 3,000 hours of flight time in nearly 40 different types of aircraft.

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